Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin have developed an amazing new type of intruder-detecting ‘smart’ curtains that can sense when someone is trying to break in. When the fabric is cut or penetrated, a built-in microcontroller triggers an alarm that gives authorities the precise location of the break-in. In addition to being used in curtains that protect individual homes and offices, the material could be incorporated into construction materials to protect an entire building.